Knights Charter at Old St. Patrick’s Named for Archbishop Hughes

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Archbishop John Hughes would undoubtedly approve.

The Knights of Columbus Council of the Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral in Lower Manhattan renamed its charter after New York’s fourth bishop and first archbishop during the Divine Mercy Sunday Vigil Mass April 11.

Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori, Supreme Chaplain of the Knights of Columbus, served as principal celebrant. Toward the conclusion of the liturgy, Carl A. Anderson, Supreme Knight, CEO and chairman of the Catholic fraternal service organization, presented the charter of the revised Archbishop John J. Hughes Council 163.

The charter presentation was timely, given the focus on Archbishop Hughes as Old St. Patrick’s undergoes an extensive restoration and prepares to celebrate its bicentennial in November. During his tenure, Archbishop Hughes’ cathedra was at what is now Old St Patrick’s Cathedral.

Msgr. Donald Sakano, pastor of the parish located at the corner of Prince and Mott streets, delivered the homily at Saturday’s 5:30 p.m. Mass.

“Standing on historic ground, we remind ourselves of our united purpose,” he said. “Our encounter with the Lord, and with each other, allows us to catch our bearings and to be pointed in the direction that we need to go.”

“Immigrants built this church, completed in 1815,” continued Msgr. Sakano, “and after 200 years, the lives of dedicated men and women lay down the foundation for what we need to do. One such life was that of John Hughes, a young man who came to America from Ireland in 1817.”

“Yes, this is a special day for our Knights of Columbus as they receive their charter as a council under the name of New York’s first archbishop,” Msgr. Sakano said. “We’re honored to receive it blessed by the Supreme Chaplain…and from the hands of the Supreme Knight.”

In an apparent surprise to Msgr. Sakano, the Knights later in the liturgy presented him a $100,000 check for the parish. Through a broad smile, the pastor quipped that such a contribution doesn’t happen every day.

Anderson, in his remarks at the charter presentation, said there was no better place to honor the legacy of the great missionaries of the Church than in the historic Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral. “And there is no one who more magnificently personifies their sacrifice and their determination than this city’s first archbishop, John Hughes.”

“He was an immigrant to this country, a successor of the Apostles and a lion—better, a true warrior for the faith behind whose shield the fledgling Catholic community of New York sought shelter, defense and support.”

“Here was a man of vision and determination who, a short distance north of here, would build one of the great churches of the world,” he said, referring to St. Patrick’s Cathedral at Fifth Avenue and 50th Streets. “It would be a structure whose presence would proclaim that Catholics would not be pushed off the island of Manhattan nor off the continent of North America. It was a structure whose Gothic design would declare that this flock—poor as they were—were the heirs to the glorious achievements of Catholic civilization in Europe,” as well as a structure whose magnitude and solidity “would reflect the confidence in the future role of Catholics in America.”

Archbishop Lori, who heads the first and thus oldest diocese in the United States, further underscored the significance of the occasion of the newly named charter in an interview with CNY at a reception after the Mass.

“It’s always a joy when a council is reviving itself, and you can see that happening here,” he said, particularly “in a very historic place such as the St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral. It was a real joy.”

“Pope Francis has called us all to the new evangelization and to spread the joy of the Gospel,” Archbishop Lori added. “I think we Knights, who are to be men and families of charity and unity and fraternity, are well-positioned to do this.”